KUALA LUMPUR – Anders Antonsen’s defeat to Shi Yuqi in the final of the Malaysia Open 1000 series has now awakened the ‘beast’ in him, with the Danish shuttler pledging to go on full attack this year
The 28-year-old, who entered the tournament as the defending champion, lost his rhythm in yesterday’s final, allowing his Chinese opponent—whom he had defeated in the previous edition—to claim revenge with a routine 21-8, 21-15 victory in front of a full crowd at the Axiata Arena.
Yuqi took home the prize money of USD 101,500 (RM 457,800), while Antonsen earned USD 49,300 (RM 222,357) for his efforts.
Speaking to Scoop, Antonsen said that he plans to focus on improving both his attacking and defending techniques this year, which he feels have been lacking.
Antonsen believes this will help him achieve his goal of winning more titles in 2025.
For the record, Antonsen, who is currently ranked number two in the world, has eight BWF World Tour titles under his belt.
“I’m not satisfied, and I’ve never been satisfied with what I’ve achieved in my life—that’s just my character. I love to compete with myself every day. My defeat against Yuqi, which was my first tournament of the year, has motivated me to do even better for the rest of the year.
“I’m going to improve a lot and work on myself, and some of that I want to keep secret and not reveal to anyone. But I definitely don’t want to lose in any finals I qualify for in 2025, and I aim to improve further on the attacking and defensive aspects of my game.
“Every day, when I wake up, I always tell myself that I want to get better and better. That has been the driving factor behind everything I’ve achieved so far.
“My target for this year is very clear—I want to win at least 10 to 15 BWF World Tour titles. Until then, I’m not stopping my work. This year’s Malaysia Open marks the start of a new beginning for me,” said Antonsen when met.
Antonsen won a total of four BWF World Tour titles last year—Malaysia Open, Indonesia Masters, Denmark Open, and China Masters.
The four-time European badminton champion will next compete in the Indonesian Masters, scheduled to take place from January 21 to 26. – January 13, 2025